The Cost of Puberty
by Doe Eyed Dreamer
Summary: Puberty was a strange thing, as the boys of the Sandlot discover. Your voice cracks, you shoot up a foot, and you grow hair in strange places. Imagine their shock when Smalls suddenly develops breasts.
1. Chapter 1

Scottie Smalls had a problem.

A _galactic_ problem in fact.

A problem so massive, that it would make that summer The Beast had taken Bill's prized baseball hostage look like a cake-walk.

The teenager groaned, staring at the strap of magenta fabric covering her chest in evident despair.

 _A bra._

She knew the day would eventually come, despite being a late developer. She _had_ had the talk with her mom after all—as embarrassing and awkward as it had been—and most girls she knew her age already wore one. Yet, as she regarded the evidence of her femininity, she still couldn't help feeling disbelief course throughout her body.

"Oh sweetie," her mom crowed, entering the bedroom. She clasped her hands together gleefully. "Just look at you! You look like a little lady!"

Smalls huffed, dropping her shirt hastily. That was _exactly_ what she was afraid of.

How was she supposed to show her face at the sandlot now?

You see, she had been keeping a secret since she had moved to California all those years ago.

'Scottie' was actually her middle name.

Her full name was Johanna Scott Smalls, but since her deceased father had taken to calling her Scottie…the name sort of stuck. She had always been a strange girl, constantly tinkering away at her gadgets and not really fitting in with the girls back in her old town. They gossiped that she had no fashion-sense—she preferred her shorts and button-ups to pretty dresses because the fabric tended to get caught in her inventions. She'd also started wearing her hair short after a model-rocket fiasco had left most her dirty blond locks charred and damaged.

Her mother had been very upset.

So it was no wonder when she first moved here that Benny had automatically assumed that she was a boy, and even invited her to play when she'd finally mustered up the courage to follow them to the sandlot afterschool one afternoon. And even though they had laughed at her every chance they got, she had had so much fun with them all that summer and made so many new friends—that she just went with it.

Because in all honesty, she was terrified.

She had never had true friends like them before, and she was so scared of losing them that she kept her lips sealed and never told the truth.

It was why she kept her hair short even after all these years, and wore such boyish clothing despite being nearly fourteen.

She didn't want them to treat her differently. She saw how they acted around girls, and couldn't bear being kept at a distance. Especially by Benny.

Her pulse accelerated at the mention of the hazel-eyed boy.

If it weren't for him, she doubted she would have made a single friend that summer.

The others had immediately written her off as a goof and a lost cause, but not Benny. He'd taken her under his wing and taught her everything she needed, and the others had simply accepted her because he deemed her worthy. He had become such an important person to her. And if she were being presumptuous, she would even go as far as calling him her best friend.

And now she had to figure out a way of hiding her newly formed breasts from him.

"And they're so perky too!" her mom was gushing, causing the young girl to blush. _Seriously?_ "Now if you'd only stop wearing those atrocious clothes and grow your hair out and Bill and I will have to start fighting the boys off with a stick!"

Smalls frowned at her mom.

"I _like_ my clothes." she rebuffed, crossing her arms defiantly, before adding a contemptuous, "And why would I even _want_ guys chasing me?"

As far as she knew, which was a _lot_ considering she hung around eight daily, boys were show-offs, foul-mouthed, and just plain gross.

Her mother rolled her eyes at the girl's sassy tone.

"Oh please honey, they already chase you around that sandlot of yours." She stated dismissively, before adding a conspiring, "And I bet that little friend of yours Benny would appreciate the new look."

The older woman winked and Smalls felt her face burn with mortification.

"Stop it!" she hissed fiercely, "Benny doesn't think of me that way."

She'd seen the girls he flirted with at school. They were all really pretty and girly with flowing manes they kept perfectly styled. Smalls, with her scuffed elbows and knees, and boyish looks was nothing like that.

 _Not to mention, he doesn't even know I'm female_ , she added silently.

Her mom simply gave her knowing look before excusing herself from the bedroom, leaving the blond to fume by herself as she peered critically at her reflection.

Even with her shirt on she could still make out the subtle swells pressing against the material. Deflating at the realization, she groaned into her hands.

This whole thing was God's fault.

Why couldn't he have just left her flat-chested?

Honestly, she didn't mind.

It would have made her life a _hell_ of a lot less complicated, that's for sure.

A sharp tap at her window sent her heart leaping into her throat, and she turned wide-eyed to connect gazes with a familiar pair of hazel eyes.

"Eep!"

She immediately crossed her arms over her chest, staring horrified at the dark-haired teen positioned outside her window. He was frowning at her from beneath his signature cap, brows furrowed as he once again rapped against the glass.

Smalls swallowed past a lump in her throat.

 _Had she left her curtains open the entire time?_

 _Did he see anything?_

Her heart was beating a million miles per minute as she slowly made her way over to the window, releasing her death-grip on her chest briefly to swiftly flip the latch, then promptly covering her chest again.

She watched as the baseball protégé lifted the pane and easily slipped into her room, not making a single sound. How he was so silent all the time was beyond her. Especially now that he was so tall. She always sounded like a herd of stampeding of elephants whenever she attempted to sneak out, which, granted, wasn't very often.

"Hey." He greeted, breezing by her and flopping unceremoniously onto her bed. He propped himself up on his elbows, sending Smalls, who had yet to move from the window, a peculiar look. "Why'd you take so long to open the window?"

The girl blanched, crossing her arms even tighter against her chest. Suddenly she felt very awkward with the Spanish boy in her bedroom, on her _bed_ no less, though he had probably been in the same position a thousand times before.

"I, uh, wasn't expecting you." She fumbled, digging her toes into the carpet. Which was a total lie. She was always expecting him. She had just been hoping he wouldn't stop by _today_ of all days.

Benny seemed to be thinking along the same lines, brows quirked as he surveyed his friend.

"Its summer." He stated as if that were a sufficient explanation within itself.

Which it was.

Summer equaled sandlot. It was that simple.

Smalls released a nervous chuckle.

"Ha-ha, right."

The two teens stared at each other, before Benny finally seemed to get frustrated and rose to his feet, closing the space between them and eying the blond with a pointed look.

"Well?" he drawled expectantly, hazel eyes cutting to the window and back, "Let's go."

Smalls bit her lip. _God, why did this have to happen?_

She glanced down at her chest and just knew she couldn't get away with going out like this. Not if she didn't want to expose her secret to all her friends.

"Actually…" she started, and nearly shrunk into herself when his eyes snapped to hers. The girls at school were constantly swooning about how intense and penetrating his eyes were, and at that moment she found she couldn't disagree with them. She suddenly found herself tongue-tied and flustered as he unleased the full force of his stare upon her.

"Spit it out Smalls." He ordered gruffly, and she knew he was irritated. He always got that way when someone was keeping him from baseball.

Scottie sucked in a quick breath, averting her eyes and saying simply.

"I can't go today."

She could practically feel his suspicious look, but refused to look up to confirm her thoughts.

"And…why not?" he asked slowly.

She searched her brain frantically for a suitable excuse.

"I, uh, promised my mom I would help her go grocery shopping." She blurted. That sounded reasonable, right?

Benny didn't think so.

"You hate the grocery store." He deadpanned, "Last time your mom made you go you escaped out the back and hid at Yeah-Yeah's house for four hours."

She cringed.

Right. She had totally forgotten about that.

"Well she's giving me no choice this time." She insisted.

The raven-haired boy's frown deepened.

"She gave you no choice _last_ time."

Smalls was growing desperate. She couldn't go to the sandlot yet! She needed to buy herself some time to figure out how to hide her, ahem, _assets_.

"Well I just _have_ to alright!" she snapped, and Benny's eyes widened at her harsh tone.

Realizing she had essentially just yelled at the boy, she attempted to apologize, only for him to brush her off.

"It's whatever Smalls." He mumbled, climbing back out of her window, "You can't go. I _get_ it."

She could only watch helplessly as he picked up his bat and glove from her lawn, before ambling away.

"No Benny," she whispered as she watched his lean form grow smaller and smaller, "I'm afraid you don't."

And if she had her way, he never would.


	2. Chapter 2

It took her while, and her chest ached something fierce, but she'd finally done it.

Smalls pivoted in front of her mirror, a relieved smiled curling her lips as no bumps or swells showed beneath the fabric of her cotton t-shirt.

She'd really done it. She'd actually _cheated_ puberty.

Throwing on a sleeveless flannel and cap, she bounded down the hall towards the front door, intent on escaping the confines of her home when her mother stopped her in the kitchen.

"Scottie have you seen the elastic bandages?" she inquired. Her brows formed a little 'v' as she inspected the first aid kit, which—Smalls realized with a start—she'd left on the counter after she raided it.

The girl inconspicuously arranged her flannel so that it covered her chest, glad her mother was distracted and not paying much attention to her. She swore the woman was psychic, as she could always usually tell when the blond was hiding something.

"I dunno." The girl mumbled, grateful that her voice remained steady. She inched towards the door, adding hastily, "Maybe Bill used it."

Scottie winced as soon as the lie left her mouth. She felt bad blaming it on Bill, as they got along quite well now, but not bad enough to take back the words. She couldn't have her mom suspect her, or she'd definitely make her remove them for sure.

And Smalls could _not_ allow that to happen.

"Maybe." Her mother hummed noncommittedly, flipping up the plastic lid and eying the expiration date while muttering, "I could have sworn I just bought this thing…"

Smalls slipped out the door, breathing a sigh of relief as she rushed down her drive onto the sidewalk. The hot California sun beat down on her as she strode along, waving at her elderly neighbor Mrs. Stevens as she headed into town.

She felt really guilty about yelling at Benny that morning. She had just been so panicked and frustrated that she did what she could to get him to quit grilling her.

He'd done nothing to deserve such treatment, which was why she was determined to make it up to him.

And she would do it by using her allowance to buy an extra baseball and bring it to the sandlot.

It was nearing three pm by now, and the girl knew it was only a matter of time before they lost the ball. Now that they were all older, and the beast had been tamed, hitting a ball past the sandlot's fence was the least of their concerns.

Sometimes they would break someone's window and have to make a run for it. Sometimes they would hit it so far no one could find it and everyone gave up and went home. And sometimes, Benny just _gutted_ it.

Entering Vincent's Corner Market, Smalls was assaulted with a burst of cool air against her face and arms. It felt nice on her heated skin, and she basked in the feeling as she headed immediately towards the aisle that kept the baseballs.

Grabbing the first one she saw, she was headed back towards the register when a group of giggling girls entered.

Scottie immediately recognized the three from school, particularly the leggy redhead. She was Wendy Peffercorn's younger sister, and rumored to be even more beautiful than the elder Peffercorn was at her age. She was wearing a pale-pink sundress, her wavy hair pulled away from her face by stylish white sunglasses as she chatted animatedly with her friends.

Scottie ducked her head, not wanting to draw the girls' attention.

While they had never been mean or malicious to her before, she felt decidedly awkward around girls like them.

When she saw them in their cute clothes and fashionable hair she would feel a longing ache in her chest. Yes, she adored baseball and wouldn't trade it for the world, but lately she found herself becoming interested in more feminine things, like spaghetti straps and bracelets.

Once her mother had caught here eying a floppy sun-hat at the market and offered to buy it for her, but Smalls had adamantly refused, blushing all the way to her hairline.

She couldn't afford to be drawn to such girlish things, then the boys at the sandlot would know her secret. So she pretended she hadn't been looking at the hat, but rather the sports magazines behind it. She could tell her mother didn't believe her, but luckily hadn't pushed the issue.

Scottie sighed, sneaking another quick glance in Peffercorn and company's direction.

Girls like them reminded her of what she wasn't allowed to want, so she avoided them as much as possible.

She turned her back to them as they passed, making sure they couldn't catch a glimpse of her face. She doubted they would talk to her, but she would make sure they had no reason to on the off-chance that one recognized her.

"I can't believe that perve Palledorous actually thinks he has a chance with your sister Stacey!" the dark haired girl was scoffing. "Wendy's way too hot to settle for some barely going to high school brat. She can have _college_ guys now."

Small's pulse quickened. _They were talking about Squints!_

Peffercorn snorted in response, rummaging through the snack section as she listened to her friend's rant.

"Wasn't he the one that pretended to drown so that he could kiss her?" the third girl asked distractedly, also snack scavenging. She was African American with big brown eyes and a friendly face.

"That's the twerp." The dark-haired one confirmed, lip curling in obvious distaste. "He and his friends got thrown out of the pool that summer too. And _rightfully_ so."

Scottie grimaced at the memory, knowing she was one of the "twerp's" friends.

Stacey shrugged, finally settling on a box of _Cracker Jacks._

"The kid's got serious guts though." She stated, grinning slyly before adding a mischievous, "Besides, I think Wendy found it endearing. She always smiles at him and his friends when they pass by."

"Very true." The black girl agreed, choosing a pack of _Now and Laters_. "I saw it with my own eyes. Perhaps he has a chance after all."

The dark haired girl threw he hands up in exasperation.

"You two are seriously loony." She claimed, snatching up a bag of _David_ sunflower seeds.

They began heading towards the register, still chatting, and Smalls realized she had been eavesdropping, swiftly finishing her route to the front of the store.

She smiled at the elderly man running the cash register. He was the owner of the shop and a huge baseball fanatic by the name of Vincent Marty, who's smile nearly split his face upon seeing the girl.

"Heya Smalls!" he greeted genially, scanning the ball and ringing up the register.

"Hello Mr. Marty." She returned quietly. She could hear the girls getting closer, their laughter causing her entire body to stiffen uncomfortably.

"I saw Benny and the others here this morning." He remarked, eyes sparking before inquiring excitedly, "Did he gut _another_ ball?" Before the girl could answer he ploughed on. "Man that Rodriguez sure is talented, and such a nice kid too!" He grinned broadly at Smalls. "You're fortunate to be one of the people that gets to call him your friend before he hits the big leagues."

Upon hearing Benny's name, the girls had stilled, whispering amongst themselves as they eyeballed Scottie curiously.

"I guess." The teen answered awkwardly, feeling the girls' stares burning into the space between her shoulders. She had to get out of there, and fast.

She handed Mr. Marty a dollar and didn't bother waiting for her change, slipping the baseball in her pocket and hurriedly making her way to the exit.

"Well, it was nice seeing you kid!" the old man hollered after her, and she gave a hasty wave before disappearing into the heat.

She was halfway down the block before she heard someone calling after her, and was surprised to see Stacey Peffercorn jogging up to meet her. She glanced around and didn't see her friends, figuring they must've still been in the store.

"Hey." The girl greeted, slightly out of breath. She flashed a cheeky smile. "You walk really fast."

Scottie squirmed impatiently. She really wanted to go to the sandlot, but blowing off a Peffercorn was basically committing social suicide, so she offered a noncommittal, "Huh."

The redhead seemed thrown for a moment, obviously not used to such a careless response to her presence. Of course Smalls wasn't affected by her in the slightest, not _actually_ being a teenage boy, but merely masquerading as one.

Scottie had to give the girl credit however, as she composed herself rather quickly.

"You forgot your change back there…Smalls?" she said her name like a question, unsure.

"Actually, it's Scottie." The blond corrected. Only Mr. Marty and the sandlot gang was allowed to call her Smalls.

"Right." She corrected, "Scottie." She squinted intensely at her face that was being shaded by her cap, and Scottie tipped her head down further so she couldn't see. She was looking at her strangely, like a puzzle she was trying to piece together—and Smalls didn't like it one bit.

"My change." She prompted, and the girl was snapped from her scrutiny, offering a guilty expression before retrieving the pennies and gesturing for the blonde's hand.

Scottie hesitated only momentarily, swiftly snatching the coins from the taller girl's palm and shoving them in her pocket.

"Thanks." She stated brusquely, before turning on her heel and jogging off.

 _Mental note to self: avoid Stacey Peffercorn at all costs._

Little did she know; the very girl was watching her go with a look of intrigue.

XXXXXX

When Smalls reached the sandlot, it was just in time to watch Ham send a ball catapulting across the afternoon sky, soaring far beyond the limits of the lot, and disappearing with a twinkle into the distance.

"Ham you idiot!" she heard Benny shout, and there was an immediate uproar as the others pelted him with their mitts. All the while the portly teen sported a cocky grin, rounding the bases at a leisurely pace while his friends hit and swore profanities at him.

Scottie chuckled beneath her breath. Some things just _never_ changed.

DeNunez was the first to spot her, shouting out an exhilarated, "Smalls! Where you been all day man?"

"Yeah, yeah, you totally missed today dude." Yeah-Yeah agreed, running up to greet her. The rest followed suite, slapping her on the back tugging obnoxiously on her hat. Smalls attempted to ward them off, but it was no use, and she ended up just laughing as they finished their friendly assault.

"Benny said you were a no-show today." Ham accused, cutting suspicious eyes at said teen, and it was then Smalls realized the mentioned individual hadn't joined the others, leaning against the fence with his arms crossed.

The baseball protégé was eying her with a guarded expression, hazel eyes taut around the corners as he kept his distance. He didn't greet her. He didn't even do that little head nod he sometimes did, and she knew he was definitely still peeved by her treatment that morning.

"He said he wasn't coming." was his stiff explanation, before sending Ham an annoyed look. "Not that it matters, since _you_ just sent our last ball who knows where."

Ham preened, pretending to buff his nails against his dusty t-shirt.

"Don't hate me cause you _ain't_ me Benny-man."

"Why would anyone _want_ to be an egg-head?" Timmy scoffed.

Tommy shook his head fervently, repeating his brother's exact words only to earn an eye-roll from nearly everyone.

Benny pushed away from the fence, tucking his glove into his back pocket and propping his bat beneath his arm.

"Well, I guess that's the day guys." He huffed, and began heading towards the street when Smalls intercepted him.

"Wait!" she found herself shouting, and everyone turned to pin her with startled looks. She could feel the heat travelling up her neck from all their stares, but one glance at Benny's expectant look jolted her into action.

"Um, actually…" Scottie walked tentatively up to the raven-haired boy, offering a shy grin before pulling the ball out of her pocket and placing it in his hand. "I brought an extra one."

Benny was stunned. She could tell by the way his eyes shot to hers, holding her gaze minutely before allowing his lips to curve into a roguish smirk.

"Bitchin." He murmured, hazel eyes gleaming.

Smalls felt her own mouth twitching, and then his broke into a full-fledged smile, showcasing his perfect teeth and causing his entire face to glow. She'd seen the look a thousand times by now, the true adulterated happiness that radiated from him whenever he got to play baseball, and yet—it struck her dumb every single time.

"Your ball, your ups." He stated, handing her the bat, and she knew she had been forgiven.

"Just don't do a Ham!" Squints instructed, only to be shoved by the mentioned boy while the others laughed.

Benny shook his head in exasperation, though his smile never left his face.

"Alright, base-up you blockheads!" He drilled, and everyone immediately scrambled into position.


	3. Chapter 3

Exactly fifteen days later the carnival came to town. And like the years previous, Smalls showed up to the parking lot turned amusement park that evening with the rest of the sandlot gang. It had become a tradition of sorts for the rag-tag group of teens, and Scottie enjoyed getting to hang with the guys outside of the context of baseball for once.

This year, however, she wished she would have just stayed home.

"Ham, _please_ don't tell me that's what I think it is." She demanded.

The curly-haired boy smirked, proudly displaying the bag of _Big Chief_.

"It depends on what you _think_ it is Smalls." Was his smug retort. The others snickered.

The blond could feel a headache coming on, throbbing in her temples as she gawked at her friend in disbelief. She felt Benny clap a hand on her shoulder, attempting to ease her tension as always, but she barely acknowledged it.

She was just _too_ worked up.

"Did you forget what happened the last time we all chewed that?" she exclaimed, lowering her voice to a whisper when a passing couple eyed the group curiously. "It took my mom ages to get that puke out of my clothes!"

Ham waved her off.

"Yeah, okay, I hear you." He dismissed, beginning to distribute the tobacco. Scottie watched in horror as Yeah-Yeah, and then Bertram popped the black substance into their mouths before passing it along. "But that was _then_ Smalls." the freckled teen argued, "We were mere boys. In the fall we'll be attending high school—we're _men_ now."

Scottie could feel her face pinching. _Seriously?_

"You said we were "men" back then too." She scoffed, crinkling her nose in distaste when Squints attempted to pass the bag to her. She snatched it from his startled fingers, shaking it for emphasis as she snarked, "We swore off it for a reason, you'd have to be totally _cracked_ to do this stuff again!"

Ham rolled his eyes at her dramatics, yanking the bag back from her hand to toss it over to DeNunez. The boy caught it easily, slipping a piece into his mouth before lobbing it to Timmy.

"Relax Smalls." Ham placated, watching her blue eyes narrow when Tommy took some as well. "We're not going to ride the rides this time, so it's okay alright?"

Smalls frowned further. _Not going to ride the rides?_

"Then…what are we here for?"

The group grew silent, and she followed their gazes to where a cluster of girls was laughing and talking near the cotton-candy booths. They appeared to be a year or two older, all sporting designer blouses and mini-skirts.

"High school babes." Timmy said in a daze. Tommy nodded just as dazedly. "High school babes."

DeNunez began fanning himself, a dopey look on his face.

"So _hot_." He drawled dreamily.

Yeah-Yeah shook his head adamantly.

"Yeah-yeah. Total knock-outs."

"What I wouldn't give to make a home run with one of _them_." Squints leered, glasses fogging up.

Scottie couldn't believe this.

"We came here for _girls?_ " she hissed, scandalized. She had been looking forward to having fun with them all tonight, and all they wanted to do was ogle _girls?_

Ham tusked, slinging a heavy arm across the smaller teen's shoulders.

"Not _girls_ Smalls." He corrected, thumping her on the collar " _Women_."

The blond slipped from beneath him, annoyance surging through her blood. Her chest was already sore enough from the bandages, she didn't need Ham bruising her up as well.

"The legal adult age is eighteen." she snapped, fed up with his foolery. "They _are_ girls. And what does tobacco have to do with any of this?"

The portly boy puffed out his chest defiantly.

"Well, in order to attract _women_ —" he emphasized the word and Scottie bristled. _Egghead_. "—we must first look like _men_. And men chew tobacco." The others nodded eagerly in agreement. Like his words made perfect sense.

Scottie wanted to scream in frustration.

This was _so_ stupid!

She turned to Benny to attempt to convince him to change their minds, only to stop short as she watched him reach into the bag as well. Seeing her incredulous look, he shrugged, a sheepish expression slipping across his face.

"It doesn't hurt to try it." He pointed out, and Smalls could only watch in resignation as he popped a piece into his mouth as well. No one was going to listen to her now that Benny was on board.

She had thought at least _he_ of all people would see what a crappy idea this was.

She huffed, yanking off her cap to run a distressed hand through her hair.

But then again, he _was_ a boy.

And if there was one thing Scottie had learned about boys over the years, it was this: sometimes—they just did stupid shit.

Benny was staring at her strangely, dark brows furrowed as he watched her rake her fingers furiously through her dirty blond locks. When she noticed his eyes on her she stilled, scowling back at him.

"What?" she growled, still upset. _They were all a bunch of idiots!_

The raven haired teen startled, swiftly shaking his head as he answered uncertainly,

"Nothing."

Scottie wasn't buying it. The look he was giving her was just too weird, like he saw a flash of something he wasn't supposed to see. It unnerved her, stomach curling in uncomfortable knots as she found herself hissing,

"Just spit it out Benny!"

The teen reared back at the tone, along with the rest of the sandlot gang. They weren't used to the scrawny blond being so assertive, especially with Benny.

The movement seemed to make her aware of her actions however, and she immediately flushed pink, attempting to rearrange her hair into a semblance of order as she grumbled an embarrassed, "Sorry."

Again, Benny was staring, nodding absently at her apology.

"S'okay…" He trailed off slowly, confusion clouding his hazel eyes as they kept darting between her hair and face. "You just… seriously need a haircut Smalls."

 _What?_

"A haircut?" she echoed, mirroring his puzzlement. Since when did Benny care how she wore her hair?

"Yeah." He murmured, averting his eyes. "As soon as possible."

Scottie could feel her chest swelling with offence, and if she were to be honest—some hurt as well. Benny was supposed to be the one that always looked out for her. Her hair wasn't _that_ bad was it?

She patted her fingers through her head self-consciously, noting how the strands were damper towards the middle because she had been wearing her hat all day.

 _Did it really look terrible?_

"Benny's right Smalls." DeNunez agreed between smacks of tobacco, "You look like a total girl with your hair all floppy like that."

The blond could have sworn her heart stopped.

"I do?" she squeaked. She knew it had been a while since she'd last gotten a haircut—since summer started to be exact—but she didn't realize it would make that much of an impact on her looks.

She immediately jammed her cap back onto her head, making sure every strand of hair was tucked away out of sight. As soon as she got home she was lopping it all off.

Ham held out the bag of _Big Chief_ towards her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"All the more reason for you to chew, eh Smalls?"

Scottie snatched the bag from him.

* * *

Smalls didn't feel so good.

She was leaning heavily against Benny, who had her arm tucked securely across his shoulders as they trudged at a snail's pace along the sidewalk. His body was warm as it pressed against hers, and had Scottie not felt so wretched, she might've blushed at the intimate contact.

The boy really did smell nice, even nicer than usual, and she vaguely wondered if it was because he wanted one of those high school girls at the carnival to think so as well.

"I can't believe you threw up all over that chick's shoes!" Benny snorted, and the girl threw him the nastiest scowl she could manage in her current condition.

Granted, it wasn't very effective.

"I gave her a heads-up." The blond muttered, stomach gurgling. She really was going to kill Ham. "It wasn't my fault she didn't move."

Benny hummed, nudging Smalls playfully in the ribs. She barely repressed the urge to vomit, glowering weakly at her friend who was too busy staring ahead to notice.

"It's really too bad." he stated, hazel eyes gleaming, "I think she was actually kinda' digging you before the upchuck."

An image of the pretty brunette flashed through her mind and Scottie's entire body stilled, head snapping around to stare at the teen in horror.

" _What?_ " she hissed. The girl was at least a sophomore, with long legs and coy smile.

Benny frowned at her reaction.

"I said…she was digging you." He repeated slowly, "Wasn't that the point of going over?"

' _The point was to get you guys off my case!_ ' the blond shouted internally. None of them were supposed to actually _like_ her. Benny was clearly mistaken. She was way too scrawny and dorky to hold any real appeal towards girls.

 _Especially_ high school girls.

"That's impossible." She snapped, and Benny quirked a curious brow at the swift denial.

"Impossible?" he echoed, frowning, "You sure think highly of yourself Smalls."

Scottie huffed.

"It's not what you think." She grumbled. _Not even close_. "My self-esteem is fine. I just know what my limits are."

She wasn't even a _real_ teenage boy. How could girls possibly find her attractive?

Benny regarded her thoughtfully.

"It's your eyes." He declared resolutely and Scottie threw him a puzzled look.

"My eyes?" she echoed.

He nodded.

"Yeah. They're really bright, big, and expressive…and pretty." He trailed off, obviously feeling uncomfortable as the last part left his lips.

Scottie was floored, gazing up at him in disbelief.

"You think my eyes are…pretty?" she asked hesitantly, and for some strange reason just the _thought_ of the dark haired boy thinking so had her heart thudding rapidly against her ribcage.

Benny shifted uncomfortably against her side, turning his face away as he muttered a hasty,

"Well, doesn't everyone say so?"

Scottie blinked.

"My mom." She offered, and Benny's head snapped back around, eyes wide.

"What. _Seriously?_ " he asked disbelievingly and the girl shrugged. She really didn't see how that was so hard to believe. She only really hung around the sandlot gang outside her family and it wasn't as if any of them were gazing into her eyes.

Hell, they probably didn't know what color they were besides Benny.

Said boy was frowning, a soft sight leaving his lips before curling into a wry smile.

"Anyways." He declared, patting Scottie's side affectionately, "They're nice Smalls. Trust me. Girls dig that shit."

Scottie wasn't quite sure how she felt about that, feeling subdued by the teen's assurance but accepted the compliment with a weak smile.

"Yeah." She muttered. "Thanks."


End file.
